Accessing really simple syndication (RSS) enabled content using session initiation protocol (SIP) signaling

ABSTRACT

A method and system for tracking web content serviced by a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) server in the Internet to feed an end device coupled to an application server. The web content is retrieved by the HTTP server responsive to receiving a request for metadata of the web content from the end device. The retrieved web content is relayed to the end device to enable the end device to subsequently send, to the application server, the web content and a first request for a subscription to a Really Simple Syndication (RSS) document accessible by the HTTP server by use of the relayed web content, wherein the web content is represented by the RSS document.

This application is a continuation application claiming priority to Ser.No. 13/418,502, filed Mar. 13, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,949,854 issuedFeb. 3, 2015, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 11/876,926, filed Oct.23, 2007, U.S. Pat. No. 8,191,082, issued May 29, 2012.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention discloses a system and associated method forfeeding rapidly changing web content employing Really Simple Syndication(RSS) mechanism to mobile devices through IP Multimedia Subsystem usingthe Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A conventional web feeding mechanism called Really Simple Syndication(RSS) provides up-to-date web content to users by polling and updatingchanges to the web content across the Internet. When a user accesses theweb content with a mobile device, RSS web feeding wastes too muchcommunication bandwidth in polling changes to the web content. The RSSweb feeding also needs to be connected to the Internet to performpolling. Also, there is no Quality of Service (QoS) for the transferredweb content because the transfer is subject to current state of theInternet.

Thus, there is a need for a system and associated method that overcomesat least one of the preceding disadvantages of current methods andsystems for RSS web feeding for mobile devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method fortracking web content serviced by a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)server in the Internet to feed an end device coupled to an InternetProtocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), wherein the web content issummarily represented by an Really Simple Syndication (RSS) documentaccessible by the HTTP server, wherein the IMS comprises an applicationserver and a media cache, wherein the application server processes boththe RSS document and the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), wherein theapplication server is coupled to the HTTP server of the Internet outsideof the IMS, the method comprises: retrieving, by the HTTP server, theweb content responsive to receiving a request for metadata of the webcontent from the end device; and relaying the retrieved web content tothe end device such that the end device subsequently send a SIPSUBSCRIBE request for the RSS document and the web content to theapplication server for subscription by use of the relayed web content,wherein the RSS document and the web content is serviced by the HTTPserver.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a computer programproduct, comprising a computer usable storage device having a computerreadable program code embodied therein, said computer readable programcode containing instructions that when executed by a processor of acomputer system implement tracking web content serviced by a HypertextTransfer Protocol (HTTP) server in the Internet to feed an end devicecoupled to an Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS).

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a computer systemcomprising a processor and a computer readable memory unit coupled tothe processor, said memory unit containing instructions that whenexecuted by the processor implement tracking web content serviced by aHypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) server in the Internet to feed an enddevice coupled to an Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS).

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a process forsupporting computer infrastructure, said process comprising providing atleast one support service for at least one of creating, integrating,hosting, maintaining, and deploying computer-readable code in acomputing system, wherein the code in combination with the computingsystem is capable of performing tracking web content serviced by aHypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) server in the Internet to feed an enddevice coupled to an Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional Really Simple Syndication (RSS) webfeeding system for RSS web feeding for a user node.

FIG. 2 illustrates a system for the RSS web feeding by the SessionInitiation Protocol (SIP) signaling for an end device coupled to an IPMultimedia Subsystem (IMS) through a Radio Access Network (RAN), inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a message flow of a conventional RSS web feeding fora user node in FIG. 1, supra.

FIG. 4 is a message flowchart depicting a method for RSS web feeding bythe SIP signaling for an end device coupled to an IMS of FIG. 2, supra,in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a computer system used for RSS web feeding by the SIPsignaling for an end device coupled to an IMS of FIG. 2, supra, inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional Really Simple Syndication (RSS) webfeeding system 10 for RSS web feeding for a user node 21.

The conventional RSS web feeding system 10 comprises the Internet 11, anHTTP server 13, a RSS feed 15, web content 17, and a user node 21. Theuser node 21 comprises RSS feed reader 23 and a web browser 25.Throughout the specification, the term content and the phrase webcontent are interchangeably used.

Web content 17 is typically a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) documentof a webpage or links to webpages and other kinds of digital media.

An RSS feed 15 is a document that contains either a summarized orunabridged version of the web content 17, typically in Extensible MarkupLanguage (XML) format. RSS means web feed formats and related technologywhich are used to publish frequently updated web content 17. RSS webfeeding is widely used in publishing real time information. Examples ofsuch web content may be, inter alia, stock price ticker, blog entries,news headlines, weather updates, or podcasts. With RSS, users canautomatically keep up with the latest information of web sites theysubscribe to.

An RSS feed reader 23 is a software program enabling subscription of anRSS feed 15. A user subscribes to a specific RSS feed 15 by entering alink to the RSS feed 15 into the RSS feed reader 23 or by clicking anRSS icon in a web browser 25. The RSS icon in the web browser 25 islinked to a client application that initiates the subscription process.The RSS feed reader 23 polls the RSS feed 15 subscribed by a user fornew web content 17, and downloads any updates with the RSS feed 15.

FIG. 2 illustrates a system 100 for the RSS web feeding by the SessionInitiation Protocol (SIP) signaling for an end device 123 coupled to anIP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) 110 through a Radio Access Network (RAN)121, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

The IMS 110 is an architectural framework for delivering IP multimediadata to mobile users in various wireless communication services designedby the standard organization called 3rd Generation Partnership Project(3GPP). In this specification, a 3GPP standard includes but not limitedto a current standard, any variation and/or an improvement of suchstandard. The IMS 110 comprises three functional layers called a serviceplane, a control plane and a transport plane.

The IMS service plane comprises an application server 200 and a mediacache 300. The application server 200 process SIP requests and providesaccess to RSS enabled web content. The media cache 300 stores IPmultimedia data within the IMS 110. The IMS control plane comprises aServing Call/Session Control Function (S-CSCF) 400. The S-CSCF is acollection of SIP servers or proxies that process SIP signaling packetsto control a call/session communicated through the IMS 110. The IMStransport plane provides physical access to the RAN 121.

To effectively integrate with the Internet 11, the IMS 110 uses theInternet Engineering Task Force (IETF) protocols, in as many cases aspossible. The SIP is an application-layer control protocol written byIETF for creating, modifying, and terminating sessions with one or moreparticipants.

The end device 123 means a SIP User Agent (UA) which can originateand/or receive SIP calls. Examples of the end device 123 may be, interalia, a mobile phone, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a laptop, aPersonal Computer (PC), or an endpoint such as an answering machine. TheIMS 110 provides services to multiple SIP UAs. In a communicationcontrolled by SIP, media streams for actual data transmission take adiscrete channel.

FIG. 3 illustrates a message flow of a conventional RSS web feeding fora user node 21 in FIG. 1, supra.

Upon updating the web content 17 by an author, the RSS feed 15 thatrepresents the web content 17 is also updated. As noted earlier, the RSSfeed 15 is an XML document that contains either a summary of the webcontent 17 or the web content 17 itself. For the purpose of thisdescription, the RSS feed 15 is regarded as a summary of the web content17 to be distinguished from the web content 17. The HTTP server 13provides the RSS feed 15 to the Internet 11.

The user node 21 comprises the web browser 25 and the RSS feed reader23. The web browser 25 fetches the RSS feed 15 through the RSS feedreader 23. The RSS feed reader 23 periodically polls the HTTP server 13for updates of the RSS feed 15. When there is an update of the RSS feed15, the HTTP server 13 fetches such update from the RSS feed 15. TheHTTP server 13 then provides updates to the RSS feed reader 23 and theweb browser 25.

A polling message from the web browser 25 is sent out periodically totrack the updates with the web content 17 during a communicationsession. As a result, the RSS feed reader 23 maintains up-to-datesummary information of the web content 17 in a same manner as the RSSfeed 15 across the Internet 11. Consequently, a user of the web browser25 can retrieve the RSS feed 15 from the RSS feed reader 23, upon arequest for summary information contained in the RSS feed 15.

In case that users of the web browser 25 need the web content 17 in itsentirety other than just a summary information in the RSS feed 15, theRSS feed reader 23 reaches to the web content 17 through the HTTP server13 that hosts the web content 17.

FIG. 4 is a message flowchart depicting a method for RSS web feeding bythe SIP signaling for an end device 123 coupled to an IMS 110 of FIG. 2,supra, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

Messages inherent to the SIP based registration and possible subsequentre-registration within the S-CSCF and the flows implied as part of theInitial Filter Criteria (IFC) are not illustrated in FIG. 4.

The end device 123 requests metadata of the web content 17 to the HTTPserver 13 across the Internet 11 via a standard data session. The HTTPserver 13 looks into the web content 17 for metadata requested by theend device 123. The HTTP server 13 then passes on the web content 17with metadata to the end device 123 that had requested metadata of theweb content 17.

A user of the end device 123 selects a certain subset of RSS feed towhich the user desires to subscribe. Once subscribed, the RSS feed ismonitored for change and any change is communicated to a subscriberpursuant to the SIP event notification. The end device 123 sends a SIPSUBSCRIBE message to the S-CSCF 400 to request a subscription of the RSSfeed 15 which is specified by metadata of the web content 17.

The SIP SUBSCRIBE and the SIP NOTIFY request messages are used inconjunction with each other for SIP based event notification. A SIP useragent (UA) subscribes an event by sending the SIP SUBSCRIBE message to aSIP server, and then, once the SIP server registers such subscriptionrequest by the SIP UA, the SIP server sends back the SIP NOTIFY messageto the SIP UA when the subscribed event occurs. For details, see RequestFor Comments (RFC) 3265 by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).The SIP 200 OK response message is an acknowledgement for successfulprocess of a request. See RFC 3261 for details.

The S-CSCF 400 routes the SIP SUBSCRIBE message received from the enddevice 123 to the application server 200. The application server 200processes the subscription request in the SIP SUBSCRIBE message andregisters the RSS feed subscribed and the end device requesting thesubscription. The application server 200 then locates the RSS feed 15and tracks changes in the RSS feed 15 across the Internet 11 through theHTTP server 13. The application server 200 maintains a subscriberprofile which contains properties to serve a subscribing end device or asubscriber. The information in the subscriber profile may be, interalia, a polling frequency, content delimits, a response priority, andupdate response limits. Subsequent to the subscription request, theapplication server 200 updates any provisioning information that isnecessary for the subscriber profile. Examples of provisioninginformation may be, inter alia, image size, available file formats forthe communication, etc. Then the application server 200 sends a standardSIP 200 OK message back to the end device 123 via the S-CSCF 400.

The application server 200 uses the subscriber profile to determine ifthe content of the RSS feed 15 has changed. When the application server200 detects a change of the RSS feed 15, then the application server 200updates the content of the media cache 300 with updated content of theRSS feed 15, and sends a SIP NOTIFY message to the end device 123 viathe S-CSCF 400. The end device 123 sends a SIP 200 OK message uponreceiving the SIP Notify message, and the S-CSCF 400 transfers themessage to the application server 200.

Because content of the RSS feed 15 stored in the media cache 300 isidentical to the RSS feed 15 across the Internet 11, the end device 123requests the RSS feed 15 from the media cache 300 and retrieves contentof the RSS feed 15 during the rest of the subscription in a samecommunication session, instead of generating data traffic across theInternet 11.

FIG. 5 illustrates a computer system 90 used for RSS web feeding by theSIP signaling for an end device coupled to an IMS 110 of FIG. 2, supra,in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

The computer system 90 comprises a processor 91, an input device 92coupled to the processor 91, an output device 93 coupled to theprocessor 91, and memory devices 94 and 95 each coupled to the processor91. The input device 92 may be, inter alia, a keyboard, a mouse, akeypad, a touchscreen, a voice recognition device, a sensor, a networkinterface card (NIC), a Voice/video over Internet Protocol (VOIP)adapter, a wireless adapter, a telephone adapter, a dedicated circuitadapter, etc. The output device 93 may be, inter alia, a printer, aplotter, a computer screen, a magnetic tape, a removable hard disk, afloppy disk, a NIC, a VOIP adapter, a wireless adapter, a telephoneadapter, a dedicated circuit adapter, an audio and/or visual signalgenerator, a light emitting diode (LED), etc. The memory devices 94 and95 may be, inter alia, a cache, a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), aread-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, a floppy disk, a magnetic tape, anoptical storage such as a compact disc (CD) or a digital video disc(DVD), etc. The memory device 95 includes a computer code 97 which is acomputer program that comprises computer-executable instructions. Thecomputer code 97 includes, inter alia, an algorithm used for RSS webfeeding with SIP signaling according to the present invention. Theprocessor 91 executes the computer code 97. The memory device 94includes input data 96. The input data 96 includes input required by thecomputer code 97. The output device 93 displays output from the computercode 97. Either or both memory devices 94 and 95 (or one or moreadditional memory devices not shown in FIG. 5) may be used as a computerusable medium (or a computer readable medium or a program storagedevice) having a computer readable program embodied therein and/orhaving other data stored therein, wherein the computer readable programcomprises the computer code 97. Generally, a computer program product(or, alternatively, an article of manufacture) of the computer system 90may comprise said computer usable medium (or said program storagedevice).

Any of the components of the present invention can be deployed, managed,serviced, etc. by a service provider that offers to deploy or integratecomputing infrastructure with respect to a process for RSS web feedingwith SIP signaling of the present invention. Thus, the present inventiondiscloses a process for supporting computer infrastructure, comprisingintegrating, hosting, maintaining and deploying computer-readable codeinto a computing system (e.g., computing system 90), wherein the code incombination with the computing system is capable of performing a methodfor RSS web feeding with SIP signaling.

In another embodiment, the invention provides a business method thatperforms the process steps of the invention on a subscription,advertising and/or fee basis. That is, a service provider, such as aSolution Integrator, can offer to create, maintain, support, etc. aprocess for RSS web feeding with SIP signaling of the present invention.In this case, the service provider can create, maintain, support, etc. acomputer infrastructure that performs the process steps of the inventionfor one or more customers. In return, the service provider can receivepayment from the customer(s) under a subscription and/or fee agreement,and/or the service provider can receive payment from the sale ofadvertising content to one or more third parties.

While FIG. 5 shows the computer system 90 as a particular configurationof hardware and software, any configuration of hardware and software, aswould be known to a person of ordinary skill in the art, may be utilizedfor the purposes stated supra in conjunction with the particularcomputer system 90 of FIG. 5. For example, the memory devices 94 and 95may be portions of a single memory device rather than separate memorydevices.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed herein for purposes of illustration, many modifications andchanges will become apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly,the appended claims are intended to encompass all such modifications andchanges as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for tracking web content serviced by aHypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) server in the Internet to feed an enddevice coupled to an application server via the Internet, said methodcomprising: retrieving, by the HTTP server via a processor of a computersystem, the web content responsive to receiving, by the HTTP server, arequest for metadata of the web content from the end device, saidrequest for metadata having been sent by the end device to the HTTPserver via the Internet; and said processor relaying the retrieved webcontent to the end device via the Internet, said relaying resulting in asending, by the end device to the application server, of a first requestfor both the web content and a subscription to a Really SimpleSyndication (RSS) document accessible by the HTTP server by use of therelayed web content, wherein the web content is represented by the RSSdocument.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the application serverprocesses both the RSS document and a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first request is a SessionInitiation Protocol (SIP) request.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein theend device is coupled to an Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem(IMS) that comprises the application server.
 5. The method of claim 1,said method further comprising: after said relaying, said processorreceiving a query from the application server inquiring whether the RSSdocument has been updated; in response to said receiving the query, saidprocessor determining that the RSS document had been updated pursuant toa subscriber profile, wherein the application server utilizes thesubscriber profile to control update tracking of the RSS document. 6.The method of claim 1, said method further comprising: providing atleast one support service for at least one of creating, integrating,hosting, maintaining, and deploying computer-readable program code inthe computer system, wherein the program code is executed by theprocessor to implement said retrieving and said relaying.
 7. The methodof claim 1, said method further comprising: said processor receiving,from the application server, a second request to provide updates of theweb content represented by the RSS document; and said processorproviding the updates of the web content specified in the receivedsecond request to the application server, which results in a receiving,by the end device, of the updates subject to the subscription to the RSSdocument.
 8. A computer program product, comprising a computer readablehardware storage device having a computer readable program code storedtherein, said computer readable program code containing instructionsthat when executed by a processor of a computer system implement amethod for tracking web content serviced by a Hypertext TransferProtocol (HTTP) server in the Internet to feed an end device coupled toan application server via the Internet, said method comprising:retrieving, by the HTTP server via the processor, the web contentresponsive to receiving, by the HTTP server, a request for metadata ofthe web content from the end device, said request for metadata havingbeen sent by the end device to the HTTP server via the Internet; andsaid processor relaying the retrieved web content to the end device viathe Internet to enable the end device to subsequently send, to theapplication server, a first request for both the web content and asubscription to a Really Simple Syndication (RSS) document accessible bythe HTTP server by use of the relayed web content, wherein the webcontent is represented by the RSS document; and said processor relayingthe retrieved web content to the end device via the Internet, saidrelaying resulting in a sending, by the end device to the applicationserver, of a first request for both the web content and a subscriptionto a Really Simple Syndication (RSS) document accessible by the HTTPserver by use of the relayed web content, wherein the web content isrepresented by the RSS document.
 9. The computer program product ofclaim 8, wherein the application server processes both the RSS documentand a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).
 10. The computer programproduct of claim 8, wherein the first request is a Session InitiationProtocol (SIP) request.
 11. The computer program product of claim 8,wherein the end device is coupled to an Internet Protocol (IP)Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) that comprises the application server. 12.The computer program product of claim 8, said method further comprising:after said relaying, said processor receiving a query from theapplication server inquiring whether the RSS document has been updated;in response to said receiving the query, said processor determining thatthe RSS document had been updated pursuant to a subscriber profile,wherein the application server utilizes the subscriber profile tocontrol update tracking of the RSS document.
 13. The computer programproduct of claim 8, said method further comprising: said processorreceiving, from the application server, a second request to provideupdates of the web content represented by the RSS document; and saidprocessor providing the updates of the web content specified in thereceived second request to the application server, which results in areceiving, by the end device, of the updates subject to the subscriptionto the RSS document.
 14. A computer system comprising a processor and acomputer readable memory unit coupled to the processor, said memory unitcontaining instructions that when executed by the processor implement amethod for tracking web content serviced by a Hypertext TransferProtocol (HTTP) server in the Internet to feed an end device coupled toan application server via the Internet, said method comprising:retrieving, by the HTTP server via the processor, the web contentresponsive to receiving, by the HTTP server, a request for metadata ofthe web content from the end device, said request for metadata havingbeen sent by the end device to the HTTP server via the Internet; andsaid processor relaying the retrieved web content to the end device viathe Internet to enable the end device to subsequently send, to theapplication server, a first request for both the web content and asubscription to a Really Simple Syndication (RSS) document accessible bythe HTTP server by use of the relayed web content, wherein the webcontent is represented by the RSS document; and said processor relayingthe retrieved web content to the end device via the Internet, saidrelaying resulting in a sending, by the end device to the applicationserver, of a first request for both the web content and a subscriptionto a Really Simple Syndication (RSS) document accessible by the HTTPserver by use of the relayed web content, wherein the web content isrepresented by the RSS document.
 15. The computer system of claim 14,wherein the application server processes both the RSS document and aSession Initiation Protocol (SIP).
 16. The computer system of claim 14,wherein the first request is a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)request.
 17. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the end device iscoupled to an Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) thatcomprises the application server.
 18. The computer system of claim 14,said method further comprising: after said relaying, said processorreceiving a query from the application server inquiring whether the RSSdocument has been updated; in response to said receiving the query, saidprocessor determining that the RSS document had been updated pursuant toa subscriber profile, wherein the application server utilizes thesubscriber profile to control update tracking of the RSS document. 19.The computer system of claim 14, said method further comprising: saidprocessor receiving, from the application server, a second request toprovide updates of the web content represented by the RSS document; andsaid processor providing the updates of the web content specified in thereceived second request to the application server, which results in areceiving, by the end device, of the updates subject to the subscriptionto the RSS document.